Should have known better
by kgrie18
Summary: what happens when luffy understands how much food is actually on the ship and what it means. warnings- mentions of starving, slight if you squint zolu.


He's hungry but he won't tell anyone, their all hungry and who is he to say anything?

So instead he lays curled against his first mate Zoro seeking the comfort that everything will be alright.

The crew are hungry but aren't as bad off as there captain, less energetic and most of the crew spend the day fishing hoping to catch food for everyone.

Four days ago the food had dropped to two meals a day, and 4 weeks before that Luffy had stopped asking for snacks and ate less and less until it was almost normal meals.

He had known of course that the food was getting low and his crew would go hungry if he ate all the food, so he lowered the amount of food he ate.

Little did they know he needed that large amount of food because his devil fruit ability causes him to have a faster metabolism than normal.

He was slowly starving the whole time and he'd stayed silent about it, instead buttoning his vest up .

He lay there under the watchful eye of his first mate and slept with barely any energy to move.

It was late evening that zoro attempted to rouse his captain only for him to become alarmed at the shortness of breath he held.

Shaking luffy roughly he became concerned when the boy would not wake, placing his hand to his forehead he felt the incredible heat coming off his captains skin. shit!.

Oi chopper, Luffy's sick he's not waking up!and the reindeer came at once, because if they couldn't wake him it was something serious.

They lifted the boy inside to the captains room that was never used and laid his unconscious body down.

The captain slept zoro sitting in the chair at the foot of the bed, chopper was frantic trying to find out what the problem was when nothing came up they left him alone, sanji coming in with the meals for the day and leaving with a cigarette in his mouth.

Luffy woke up in the morning as per normal and slowly got up his energy was practically gone, and drank his broth from the previous day feeling a little better now that he had some food he knew that within the next 2 hours he would feel the same way again.

Sitting next to ussop on the railing he threw out a line and tried desperately to catch a fish anything with protein to stop the constant pain.

nothing, he stayed for hours with ussop but not even one bite was had. and then the feeling was back of having no energy.

he was swaying and before he knew it he was in the ocean no strength left to fight he just sunk waiting for his nakama to come save him.

and they did his blonde cook dragged him from the water with a concerned frown which grew deeper when he lay on deck not getting up.

thanks sanji was mumbled but other than that nothing, was he sick or something?

when luffy had summoned enough energy to move, his clothes were completely dry and he'd crawled back over to zoro his first mate and laid his head on zoros outstretched leg.

================= xoxo ====================

sleeping more than he was awake luffy took to staying in bed and his nakama grew worried in the next few days he was getting worse and his limbs had started shaking.

it was in desperation that chopper begged zoro for anything he thought could have caused this tired energy less luffy

and zoro thought about it having had something on his mind for a while.

the meals? was the inquiry chopper got from zoro.

no. luffys been having the same amount as the rest of us and were all fine.

there was a simple statement that zoro said which stopped tony in his tracks- Luffy's rubber, thats why he eats so much…

and if tony thought about it it did make sense, luffy was rubber and used his devil fruit abilities for everything meaning he's been using far more energy than the rest of us for even the simplest movement.

Because rubber doesn't stand upright, he'd have to use a lot of energy just to stay standing so he doesn't just bend all over.

So of course he has a fast metabolism and looking over luffy all the signs fit his muscle mass had all but disappeared and his body would shake when he moved it.

Chopper estimated that he was already at the three weeks without food stage for a normal person, surely his metabolism wasn't that fast.

knowing the cause now chopper ran out the room down the hallway and slammed the kitchen door open.

HES STARVING! he shouted to sanji in a panic and sanji dropped his cigarette from his mouth in shock.

OI i feed him the same amount as everyone else…

no no no no! I'm not saying its your fault, he's rubber everything he does burns more energy his metabolism is so fast he's starving.!

and chopper could see sanji understood because his face was suddenly deathly pale and his hands were clenched to stop the trembling he spun around and a pot clanged onto the stove.

sanji was muttering under his breath as he cooked- _stupid stupid, selfless captain- idiot- damn him- why, why…_

the thought of someone under his care going through what he had and hiding it from everyone so the others wouldn't go hungry stabbed at the cooks heart.

i can't,- god why luffy, your the one i Have to feed, why would you do this..

but he knew why, luffy thought in simple ways if they go hungry so do i… and being the idiot he was he was DIEING!

and the damn cook could have saved him all along with a tight grip he set his face in stone and carried the food into the captains room.

setting it down he looked- really looked at the captain and saw the obvious changes, his body was skinnier than usual and his breath came in short gasps

placing a hand on luffys shoulder sanji whispered to him, - come on captain wake up, we need you to eat for us, come on.

luffys eyes slowly opened his body involuntarily shivering in the warm room his eyes slightly glazed over sanji inhaled sharply at the sight of his starving captain and poured his captain the thick broth he'd made.

luffys hands shook as he took the bowl his eyes drooping he fell asleep before he took a bite.

sanji was desperate now and zoro on the chair at the end of the bed stood up and shook the captain awake, guiding his food to his mouth so he wouldn't fall asleep.

luffy! sanji had cried "why why didn't you tell me you were hungry!"

and a slow reply was heard- were all hungry sanji.

and sanji knew that, but but YOUR DIEING luffy!, the rest of us are fine your dying and your starving and i have food you can have, and i was letting you starve right down the hall from me.

zoro glanced up from his feeding, you didn't know he said in his deep voice.

BUT I SHOULD HAVE!.. thats my job!

sanji put the cigarette in his mouth lighting it with trembling hands i— i can't let you starve captain i just can't!.

and you were letting me do it too ! i was eating like the rest of you while my captain STARVED!.

and luffy understood a pained and guilty expression adorned his face because he knew his cook couldn't do that and that was why he had tried to hide it.

sorry sanji. he said sleepily

s'good sanji he said shakily as he fought off sleep.

zoro frowned when he saw the boy fall asleep without finishing the bowl of broth, sanji had sat next to his captain on the bed in silent horror even more so when he unbuttoned the boys vest and saw the visible ribs.

at this zoro had crawled into bed next to luffy and drew him close to his body- they had almost lost him he would keep a sharper eye out next time.

he knew what his captain was like and this should have been expected.


End file.
